Tree Love

By Michael Keany

Published: 2004.11.01 12:00 AM

Arbor
Day is a tricky holiday. The national celebration of tree planting is on the last
Friday in April, but since it's a holiday uniquely dependant on weather, many
states observe it during a more clement time of year. Hawai'i, for example, celebrates
Arbor Day on the first Friday of this month, to take advantage of the coming rainy
season.

It's easy to bring a piece of Arbor Day home-on Nov. 6, the Hawaiian
Electric Co. and the Kaulunani Urban Forestry program are giving away 2,000 young
trees in 18 varieties, including kaffir lime, soapberry and kou. Despite the tendency
of trees to foul its power lines, HECO sees a tangible benefit in promoting them-shade
trees around a house can reduce air-conditioning costs by more than 30 percent.
"When you start talking about 20,000 trees over the past 10 years, now you're
getting to a scale that makes a difference," says HECO communications consultant
Bruce Benson.

To make
sure the trees make it to shade-producing age, botanical experts at the giveaway
sites will help people pick trees suitable to their homes' environments, and give
advice on how to plant and care for their new trees. If you want a tree, get there
early-according to Benson, supplies at most locations last only a few hours.

New
tree owners may also want to pick up Common Hawaiian Trees, a book of planting
tips and useful information on 48 different kinds of local trees, including their
mature height and spread, preferred environment and peculiar characteristics.
A noni tree, for example, produces fruit that can be mashed into a healthful drink,
but don't plant one too close to the house unless you like the smell of strong
cheese wafting through the windows.

Published as a joint effort by botanists
and tree enthusiasts at the Kaulunani Urban Forestry program, the book originally
began as a simple pamphlet handed out with new trees, containing proper care instructions.
"Each year, there were new species, and we kept adding to the pamphlet, and it
became a booklet, and then a book," Benson says. This newly revised edition contains
full-color botanical illustrations painted by Isabella Sinclair in the late 1800s.

If
you've got a black thumb, or just don't have room for a tree in your life, you
can still get into the Arbor Day spirit. The Outdoor Circle is celebrating on
Nov. 5 with a tree-planting ceremony at the Waipi'o Soccer Complex, with the help
of Mayor Jeremy Harris. A monkeypod-the mayor's favorite tree-will be the guest
of honor.